He allows suffering to teach us, to discipline us, and to shape us into the Christians that He created us to be.Īnd when we are tempted to sin, we must follow the example of Jesus by:įinding the scripture that applies to the situation that we are in,Īpplying that scripture to our lives by doing what it says to do. That is the way for us to overcome temptation!Īll Christians are going to face three things in life that on the surface, we probably wish we did not have to face.Īnd while we may not enjoy the experience at the time, all three of these things help to keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation. When we are tempted to do something that we know is wrong, we need to do what Jesus did:įind the scripture that applies to what we are experiencing, The Bible says that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us ( James 4:7) We can learn a lot from the way that Jesus handled temptation.Įach time, He looked to the scriptures to formulate a response. Notice how Satan waited until Jesus was vulnerable, hungry, and tired before he tried to tempt Him.Įach time, Jesus combatted temptation with scripture, and eventually, Satan left Him. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.” – Mathew 4:1-11.

For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.He even tried to tempt Jesus three times!īut he was not successful in his attempts. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8. Peter warned us about this in his first epistle: Satan knows where we are vulnerable, and he is always looking for ways to tempt us to sin. In this scripture, the “weak hands” and “feeble knees” that are mentioned are referring to the areas of our lives where we are vulnerable to Satan's attacks. “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” - Hebrews 12:12-13.Īnd while nobody likes adversity while they are going through it, it is a great teacher!

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance, proven character and proven character, hope.In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote: To shape us into the Christians that He created us to be.

The Bible teaches us that all Christians are going to suffer.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 ,.

If God did not love us, He would not intervene.īut God does love us, and that is why He disciplines us for our own good. If we were never disciplined for our mistakes, there is a good chance that we would remain in sin and forfeit our opportunity to go to Heaven. The world is a sinful place, and too often we succumb to its fleshly pleasures. When God disciplines us, we need to understand that He loves us and that He is disciplining us for our own good.

'God disciplines us for our own good, so that we may share His holiness.' – Hebrews 12:10.

'God disciplines those that He loves.' – Hebrews 12:6 ,.

Hebrews Chapter 12 contains two important scriptures about discipline: We will look at all three of these today in more detail, and then the lesson will be yours. There are three things that all Christians will experience in their lifetimes that they may not necessarily like.Īnd while we may not like these things when they happen, they play an important part in our spiritual development.

Hebrews 12 bible study